Technically I've been traveling here since '94, but I don't really remember most of my trips prior to the age of like, 9. I remember buying a pack of juicy fruit chewing gum for my cousin from Costco (probably not the wisest life decision) since chewing gum is banned from Singapore (which is really because people used to jam it into key holes so folks couldn't get in their houses, and it leaves a gross mess on the ground if it gets spit out). I've set the date for this post as the last time I was in Singapore: Christmas 2012. The longest time I've ever spent here: 3.5 weeks. Though my uncle said although I'm mostly like a banana, I am seriously Singaporean. Too bad I lost that British accent and the Singlish.

This is a utopia of sorts, with Wired Magazine calling it "Disneyland with the Death Penalty." I love how S.K. Lo poked fun at this country's unique style with her crosswalk stickers.... There are many times over the last few years where I've realized I'm really lucky that I grew up in America.

In many ways, it's a giant shopping mall. Shopping is a past time here, and you pretty much eat, shop, watch a movie, or sleep. The foreigners love exploring everything the city has to offer (like hiking, in a bug-infested forest) while the locals love hopping from one air-conditioned building to the next. Sometimes they suffer for good food in the local hawker centers, sitting on a plastic lawn chair, dying for the oscillating fan to point their way.

This place has changed a lot since I was little, and even more since my parents were younger. My dad was a British subject for a brief period of his life, and my grandparents suffered through WWII there. My ancestors have had interesting careers, like being rubber plantation workers to undertakers to refurbished car parts salesmen (all different sides of the family). The street my father used to live on no longer exists, and many of the colonial buildings have been torn out, replaced by skyscrapers. Though interestingly enough, some still exist at the ex-military base on the western side of the island (as I discovered on my scenic drive with a family friend in his convertible).

It's an expensive place to be, with cars that would cost normally <$20,000 being sold for >$100,000 with the government tax included. I don't have to worry about lodging since I have relatives who like having me stay with them (thanks mah-mah and all the uncles and aunties!), and food is cheap. (And good. I wish we had food like this in LA or Boston.) And truthfully, I miss a lot of the fruits. Jumbu, rambutan, lychee, longan, custard apple, papaya... they're all delicious.

So this time round, when I head back this summer (2015), the goal is to do some genealogy research, spend time with my extended family, and be an actual tourist. We'll see how that goes.

Written June 4, 2015

Stickers by SK Lo. She's great and has some great blurbs. Apparently these stickers were illegal, though. But she did get people talking (and laughing). Picture courtesy of www.sgpolitics.net

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Adela Wee

Traveling the world since 1994. Taking notes about the places I've been so that friends and family can go there too!